Important film & a great Blu-ray purchase

There's no understating the importance of Avengers: Infinity War. In many ways, Infinity War is like the exclamation point on the end of the sentence that started with Marvel's The Avengers in 2012. Before 2012, we had superhero films but never had there been separate franchises that collided in a single film.
Infinity War picks up where the Thor: Ragnarok's mid-credits scene ends, which has the Asgardian refugee ship being attacked by Thanos and his minions, the Black Order -- or the "Children of Thanos," as they're called in Infinity War. Thanos starts the film having already ravaged Xandar and gotten the Power Stone from the Nova Corps. He beats Thor and Hulk pretty handedly and takes the Tesseract/Space Stone from Loki, whom Thanos kills. With his dying breaths, Heimdall sends an unconscious Hulk to Earth by using his big 'ole sword to conjure some Bifrost dark magic so that Hulk/Banner can give the Avengers a heads-up about Thanos' plan. With 2 Infinity Stones, Thanos sends his Children -- Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Cull Obsidian, and Ebony Maw -- to Earth to retrieve the Time and Mind Stones while Thanos heads to Knowhere to get the Reality Stone from the Collector.
End of the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War.
From that point, Infinity War is a non-stop, edge-of-your-seat ride, filled to the brim with character interactions we've been waiting for since 2013's Guardians of the Galaxy, 2016's Doctor Strange, and 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming. It's no understatement to call Infinity War relentless as there's hardly a single quiet moment in the film that allows you to catch your breath. Virtually every scene either furthers the plot, fills-out character backstory, enhances motivation, or contains infinitely entertaining action with jaw-dropping set pieces, culminating in a final sequence that is faithful to the comics storyline from which Infinity War gets its namesake while still being incredibly emotional and utterly devastating.
Let's be clear: If you're not already a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or have love for Marvel comics characters, Infinity War won't be much more than a somewhat operatic science fiction/adventure film with above-average special effects. But if you've spent the past decade with these characters that have been introduced and developed over 19 films, there's really nothing NOT to love here, including an ending that will be as devastating on a fifth watch as it is on the first.
Now let's talk about the 4K steelbook, which is a Best Buy exclusive.
Over the past three or so years, I've made a point of purchasing the steelbook version of every single major release. With films from other non-Disney studios, I appreciated being able to buy the 4K steelbook, which contains both Blu-ray and a UHD Blu-ray discs, meaning that I was essentially future-proofing my Blu-ray collection. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Disney FINALLY started releasing their own UHD Blu-ray discs, meaning that I could start buying the 4K steelbook sets of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films I've loved.
Admittedly, I was somewhat disappointed in the cover art on the Best Buy steelbooks for Avengers: Infinity War. Sure, it's well-done art, but I was expecting something a little more "epic," especially considering how great other MCU steelbooks have been. For instance, the Doctor Strange steelbook that looks like one of the magic texts at Kamar-Taj with the Eye of Agamotto at the center is particularly beautiful. I wasn't really sold by the Thor-Ragnarok and Black Panther steelbooks specific because of their cover art, which looks a lot like a Photoshop project that a fanboy would make and post on Reddit or some other forum. For both of those films, I preferred the artwork on the non-steelbook covers. Even the Spider-Man: Homecoming cover art was better, but I had high hopes that an MCU installment as important as Infinity War would warrant epic cover art. To my disappoint, that didn't end up being the case and, instead, the cover art was only medium.
As for what's inside the steelbook case, I'm satisfied. I watched the film with the commentary that featured the Russo Bros. and the screenwriters, Markus and McFeely. All of them provided a lot of really interesting insights into the development and production of Infinity War, including why certain creative decisions were made and how those creative choices evolved from early conception of Infinity War as Part 1 of a two-part film event. There's also plenty of featurettes for fans to watch, so this doesn't have to be a Blu-ray purchase that you never touch after getting it home and watched the film again.
So why am I giving the Infinity War 4K steelbook a five-star review? Well, most Blu-ray reviews are seen as reflecting the quality of the film rather than the quality of the actual physical Blu-ray. So my five-star review should be seen as reflecting my views of the quality and importance of the film itself rather than the quality of this steelbook release. To be clear, this steelbook is exceptionally made; whereas the Last Jedi 4K steelbook I bought was severely bent to the point of not closing completely, this one is pristine. Honestly, the only major issue I have with this release is the somewhat lackluster cover artwork, which could've been so much better. And it's for that reason that it didn't feel right to dock the film in my rating.
Hopefully, Avengers 4 -- which, as of Sept. 2018, still doesn't have an official name -- has much better cover art to match the epic scope and impressive achievements of Infinity War and its sequel. But, like I said, if you're a fan of the MCU, and if you're collecting steelbooks and buying 4K media, you really can't go wrong, partly because you really don't have any other options if you want an Infinity War 4K steelbook.

I would recommend this to a friend

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ericfreeman86

Elite Plus Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

The biggest, most intelligent twist in the MCU!

Posted 9 months ago

ericfreeman86

Elite Plus Member

Yep, I said it, Many people are upset upon watching the movie, and I understand the emotions there (No spoilers) but seriously, Infinity War had me with a throbbing heart (even after the third time watching it) - THIS IS NO SPOILERS REVIEW
First of all, the Plot is brilliant, it broke down easily on the first time with few details I had to revisit the second and the third time, but it is brilliant, the movie did it boldly, and did it like no other super hero movie, One can say that giving the trends of Marvel movies plots, but this is like the highest you can go with stakes in a movie, it must be a gamble and yes it was for the directors I get why the ending was not everyone's favorite, but come on, there is a sequel, and the end is not what we would all expect, the ending was literally the last thing anyone thought, I feel like the directors did know what we were thinking and definitely surprised us, but in all honesty, kudos to the Russos, for interconnecting, engineering and building this masterpiece of a culmination, making all movies, all stories and all characters flow to this plot.
Second, Thanos, he has got to be like the longest for them to develop, to build a character so complex in his own thinking yet so simple in his feelings, building a villain is really hard, but creating a villain with a balance was plausible. Third, the production of this movie deserves 100 out of 10, the Visual effects are stunning, the action scenes are astronomical, the pace and the combustible stakes are just INSANE, I was really thinking wait How far can you take this and they did, take it to the highest extremes, I usually am very critical of production issues in a movie but this was remarkable.
Last, the actors have all been, without a doubt at their finest, Chris Evans is at his best, Downey was at his best, Vision was amazing, Ebony Maw was one of the most phenomenal characters, Hemsworth was so EPIC, Pratt was at his best, Zoe Saldana did deliver memorably, Iron Man VS Dr Strange was one of the best chemistry on screen ever, which is usually a hard thing to do in a movie like this, and THANOS, my god that guy roared, breathed, cried and smirked like a VILLAIN, Brolin deserves at least multiple nominations for this
Here is the summary for you, Avengers Infinity war is a SEQUEL, it stands by itself from a plot but is still dependent on what happened prior to it, A Masterpiece of acting, Chemistry, production and well engineered story, it is bold, it defies our expectations and it is pushing us towards Avengers 4 at a 200 Miles an hour, CAN'T WAIT!!!

I would recommend this to a friend

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Kenn

Verified Purchase

Elite Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Let the war begin "SPOILERS AHEAD"

I will admit to feeling a certain amount of joy the first time I watched THE AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. Having just watched it a second time I can let those who felt the same that it holds just as much impact the second time around. No doubt it will on repeated viewings as well. It is that good of a movie.
If you’ve been a fan of the Marvel movies based on the comics from the same company then you’ll already know what some may not, that every single movie released to date has led to this point in time, to this very film. Hints of things to come were dropped like breadcrumbs along the way with each becoming more revelatory the closer we got. If you haven’t been watching them then by all means go back and start with the first, IRON MAN, before watching this. It’s not that you won’t enjoy it watching it on its own but you’ll miss so much of what takes place. Warning there are a few spoilers in this review.
The film opens aboard a spaceship last seen in THOR: RAGNAROK which holds the remnants of Asgard. The evil plunderer of the Universe, Thanos (Josh Brolin), holds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in his grasp and has beaten him in search of the second jewel he seeks, the Space Stone, having already found the first one, the Power Stone. Presented the stone by Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) he kills Loki and heads out to find the next stone. Also on board is the Hulk who too is beaten by Thanos but who escapes with the help of Heimdall (Idris Elba).
Thanos has had a glove made specifically for his singular purpose, to collect all 6 of the Infinity Stones. With all of them combined (missing yet are the Time Stone, the Mind Stone, the Reality Stone and the Soul Stone) it will provide Thanos with the power to alter reality and time itself, to control all things. His goal is to eliminate half of the population of the universe with the intent of “saving it” from overpopulation as resources dwindle. In his twisted mind he is to be considered a hero rather than someone responsible for mass genocide.
Hulk, now in the form of Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) crashes into the sanctum sanctorum of Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and warns him of the upcoming arrival of Thanos and his minions. No not THOSE minions. Strange contacts and returns with Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) just as the evil doers arrive seeking the stone Strange possesses, the Time Stone. A nearby Spider-Man (Tom Holland) also swings in to help. Before Stark can reach out and contact Capt. America (Chris Evans) he, Spider-Man and Strange are onboard the spaceship heading towards Thanos.
Rather than continue with each story point I’ll stop here. And this so far only accounts for perhaps 30 minutes tops of this 2 hour and 29 minute masterpiece! With the exception of only 3 heroes already seen in the previous Marvel movies (Ant-Man and the Wasp which is explained in their own movie and Hawkeye) every single hero shows up to do battle in this one. Every Avenger, Black Panther, War Machine, the Winter Soldier and all the Guardians of the Galaxy are on hand to face off against Thanos. The question though is are they enough? Can they take down the most powerful being in the Universe? And if he gets all of the stones, will he be able to achieve his goal?
The answer is yes and no. When you get to the final moments of the film, a heart wrenching moment in heroic film history, the answer is still unknown. Yes know going in that the final answer is not on hand to be seen here. A second film is on the way and will no doubt pick up with the remains of this film. Not all of the heroes we’ve come to know and love will survive. None of those that remain will be left unscarred. And in a battle to save the known Universe all will lay their lives down on the line as a last defense to do so.
Our civilization has always used mythology to move us forward, to teach valuable lessons. They began with drawings on cave walls, altered to stories passed down verbally, reached the printed page, changed slightly to four color comics, moved to radio and then to the big screen. Movies have become the current medium in which mythology has decided to rest. The Marvel movies which began as comics and have since embraced movies are there to provide a way of continuing the tradition of teaching valuable lessons to those who witness them. Sacrifice, loyalty, heroism, love, failure all are on display in these films and this film combines all into a massive epic that has to be seen to be believed.
The end result of watching this film is not total sadness or joy but an anxious feeling, one in which the viewer wishes that the months were over between the viewing of this film and the next. Until that time this movie will be viewed repeatedly by fans who will wait for the next, ticket money in hand and hoping for the best for those heroes that they’ve come to love to be among those who will survive. This is the movie that has long been developing and it delivers on every single level expected of those who love movies.

Best MCU Movie Yet!!

The story begins where Thor: Ragnorok left off during the mid-credits. There are twists and turns in this movie that left you wondering if the heroes are going to succeed or fail. The action is great in this movie. It's also kinda dark too since you have a villain trying to wipe out half of the galaxy and the heroes try to stop him.
There were some emotional moments in this film as well. One of them is Thanos and Gamora's relationship as a father-daughter - which is so complex. Plus, Thanos is a 3-dimensional character and is more then just a stereotypical villain.
Over 10 years and 19 movies later, Marvel has done a fantastic job of building up to this moment and it definitely pays off nicely, too!
The way they integrated all these characters from different films into one amazing and epic film!
This movie can stand on its' own merits, but it is a sequel and it would help if you have seen the other previous Marvel films to fully understand what has been going on that has led up to this big moment in Avengers: Infinity War.
~The DVD/Blu-ray Features~
What you get out of purchasing this movie besides the Blu-ray copy of the film:
* A Digital copy of the film
* An Exclusive Digital Bonus Offer - (The Directors' Roundtable) - with 8 directors talk and reflect on how their movies contribute to the Marvel cinematic universe's larger storytelling adventure.
* Over 2 hours of Bonus material of Deleted Scenes & Gag Reel
* Intro by Directors of Joe and Anthony Russo
* Audio Commentary by Joe & Anthony Russo, Christopher Markus, & Stephen McFeely
* The Mad Titan - basically it talks about MCU's villain, Thanos, and the events that led up to this movie.
I would highly recommend this movie to anyone that likes Superhero movies and loves action movies.

I would recommend this to a friend

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dwoods

Verified Purchase

Elite Plus Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Best Marvel installment to date

Posted 3 months ago

dwoods

Verified Purchase

Elite Plus Member

This movie is the darkest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and the most epic in terms of scope and the threat that harms the world. This movie is not only a great movie, but a monumnental achievement and testament to Marvel's ability to realize its incredible vision. After 10 years and 19 movies Marvel has clearly shown that they know how to bring in hardcore and casual fans to the movies to see heroes dressed up in tights and saving the world. If you have been following this series and have watched most to all of the previous 18 MCU, this is a very satisfying payoff movie as it follows most of the heroes in the MCU. The Russos really outdid themselves, and through incredible editing and story telling they managed to tell a cohesive story that juggled numerous characters.
Though there were so many characters in this movie, the movie gave most of the characters great moments. The standouts were probably Zoe Saldana as Gamora, and Josh Brolin as Thanos. You believed their relationship as daughter and father respectively and you felt the emotional consequences of their relationship and what that relationship entailed. This was also Thanos' movie. He is without a doubt, my favorite villain in the MCU now and he is up there with Jordan's Killmonger, Hiddleston's Loki, and Keaton's Vulture. Brolin exudes such confidence, ferocity, and charisma in his performance that he sells the fact that he really believes what he is doing is right no matter how evil he seemed. I actually found myself agreeing with some of Thanos' reasonings at some points of the movie.
This was an unconventional narrative driven movie. It truly stands as a monument to Marvel's ability to deliver a different and unconventional comic book movie experience, and many studios will come to look at this as a paragon of how to do a payoff movie in a series. Many may even compare this to "Lord of the Rings: Two Towers" (2002), or "Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back" (1980) in its structure, but I believe this movie even stands apart from those movies. The only drawbacks that I saw was the fact that if this was your first MCU movie you will have no idea who the characters were and will be lost when watching this movie. Also, because there are so many characters in the movie some major characters don't get a chance to show up and get more moments, but I expected this going in. Truly, not only a great comic book movie, but an incredible movie watching experience.

I would recommend this to a friend

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SWeidman122

Verified Purchase

Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Marvel’s Best Yet!

Posted 3 months ago

SWeidman122

Verified Purchase

Member

Avengers: Infinity War Review: Wow! It took 10 years to get the setup for this movie. I had been waiting for the Infinity War for so long. I just have to say that it was amazing and definitely worth the wait! As most of you know, the movie is about almost literally everyone in the MCU teaming together to fight Thanos so he doesn’t collect all of the Infinity Stones and destroy half of the universe. I’m not going to talk much about anyone else but Thanos since everybody did superb and knows about their character. Josh Brolin as the lead villain was amazing. He is the best Marvel villain ever made. Thanos has a good reason for what he’s doing rather than other villains that are bad and beat up guys. The film delved deep into his mind so we can understand him. We love him so much but as a villain we hate what he does. Every time Thanos is on the screen we can all feel tension and fear. We’re not like “Oh he’s here to do something bad.” It’s like we panic a little because we don’t know what he’ll do and we’re scared for what he’s going to do. Thanos also has emotion and he isn’t just a tough guy. That’s all I’m going to say about him. The heroes were all great. It’s not like the other Avengers movies where they team up to stop a bad person. They’re teaming up in desperation because they don’t know how they should approach the problem. They know if they don’t stop him, basically everyone will die. It was a very serious and darker movie for the MCU. There were some greatly timed jokes, like usual, so we could breathe rather than hold our breath praying for a miracle to happen. Now on to the technical stuff. The effects for the movie were fantastic. Most of the movie relied on them. There were a minimal amount of times where you could tell it was fake, but I don’t consider that a flaw. The cinematography was pretty good too. For an action movie there wasn’t too much shaky cam but more on wide shots. The Russo Brothers did amazing with directing, as they did with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War. They understood all of the characters and motives. The movie did jump around a lot which some people didn’t like but there was a lot happening so it was necessary. I had no flaws with this movie. It was absolutely amazing and had everything that a Marvel movie should have. I would definitely see it. You will not be disappointed in how great it is.
My Grade: A+ (The cliffhanger at the end was fantastic)

I would recommend this to a friend

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Brad

Verified Purchase

Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Gorgeous Packaging for Monumental Film

If you are a fan of Marvel movies and enjoy collector's editions, this item is a must have. Thanos is the main character of 'Infinity War' so it's only fitting to have his mug and the Infinity Gauntlet beautifully displayed on the cover of this Steelbook. It's an excellent package and has both standard Blu Ray, 4K Blu ray, and digital editions.
As for the film itself, no tagline fits better than the one Marvel used in marketing 'Infinity War', it's "The Cinematic Event of a Lifetime." Representing 10 years worth of intertwined storytelling and filmmaking, 'Infinity War' is a filmmaking achievement rivaled only by 'Return of the King'. For a film with so many characters and so much backstory necessary to be fully understood, 'Infinity War' hits the ground running and does not slow down for a minute to let you catch your breath, and I mean that in a very good way. I would have expected nothing less from what is meant to be the climax of so many different long running plot threads.
All that being said, viewing the previous 18 films is not a requirement to enjoy or more importantly appreciate what is going on in 'Infinity War'. For a film with so many plot threads, the writing and acting is still outstanding enough on it's own. Josh Brolin as Thanos and Zoe Saldana as Gamora truly stand out as the heart of the film, despite the former being the 'villain'. Thanos is a man on essentially a holy war to prove that he is right and truly believes his intentions are for the best, a level of depth we rarely see in film villains. Thanos is the hero of his own story, and even with the insane amount of power he acquires, he rarely 'fights dirty' or uses his wealth of power against the Avengers unless absolutely necessary when they stand in his way.
The material in this film may be a bit too heavy for those younger than the MPAA rating of PG-13, in a way not seen in 'children's' films (I use that term loosely as Marvel films are clearly for all ages) since 1986's 'Transformers: The Movie'. That does not mean there is too much gore or language or anything of that nature, merely weighty themes that are a lot for youngsters to have to process. However if your child is watching this film, it is likely a good time to have discussions with them about the importance of themes in the movie such as sacrifice, determination, and how important perspective can be, I.E. the same thing from two different people's point of view can mean many different things.
As you watch this movie, consider which characters win and lose, and the difficult decisions they are faced with that lead to these outcomes. Unless you are familiar with the source material, nothing can prepare you for how 'Infinity War' will end.
"The hardest choices require the strongest wills." - Thanos